The annual Amarnath Yatra officially began in Jammu and Kashmir today, Thursday, July 2. Early in the morning, the first batch of pilgrims set off for the base camp, chanting hymns in honour of Baba Barfani. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off this first batch of pilgrims. Before flagging them off, he also performed prayers for the wellbeing of all the devotees. Amid chants of Har Har Mahadev, the pilgrims who left with this first batch will have their first darshan of Baba Barfani on Friday.
Yatra to run for 57 days, here is the full schedule
The formal journey from the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps will begin from tomorrow, Friday, morning. The yatra will continue until August 28, which means this year's Amarnath Yatra will run for a total of 57 days. As is the case every year, lakhs of devotees are expected to take part in the pilgrimage this time as well.
Tight security cover in place, Amit Shah personally reviewed preparations
Given the scale of the Amarnath Yatra, the government has put in place strict security arrangements. Security personnel are keeping a close watch at every point along the route, and the government's instructions are clear that devotees should face no trouble during the journey. The Central Armed Police Force, the Jammu and Kashmir Police and all other security agencies have coordinated closely to tighten security for the pilgrims. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also held a meeting with officials to review the preparations for the Amarnath Yatra. During that meeting, Amit Shah had directed officials to put in place a multi-layered and impenetrable security cordon. Devotees, for their part, appear satisfied and happy with the arrangements made for both the journey and their safety.
Where the Amarnath cave is located and the routes pilgrims take
The Amarnath cave is located in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, at an altitude of about 3,880 metres. The yatra begins simultaneously from two different routes. The first is the traditional, 48 kilometre long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district, while the second is the 14 kilometre long Baltal route in Ganderbal district, which is shorter in distance but involves a much steeper climb. Every year, lakhs of pilgrims from across the country travel along these two routes to reach the Amarnath cave for darshan of Baba Barfani.
